Helping Teachers Take Control of a Course Book Facilitating Vocabulary Instruction

Abstract

Although students are supposed to take control and responsibility for their own vocabulary learning, it does not necessarily mean that they study alone. More recently published EFL (English as a Foreign Language) course books have become increasingly aware of the importance of vocabulary instruction by compiling a vocabulary component in them. It facilitates vocabulary instruction by introducing a systematic and principled approach to vocabulary learning. Inevitably, there will be occasions when the selection and organization of lexis in the course book may not be appropriate in some learning context. It is thus critically important that teachers know how to process course books mentally. This paper is concerned with how course books might be evaluated and adapted with regard to the teaching of vocabulary. It is conducted by examining a sample of course books that facilitate vocabulary instruction at an intermediate level. In particular, it considers the selection criteria, organizing principles, quantity of vocabulary and methodology. For each of these, suggestion for adaption is proposed and then justified in respect of the learning processes involved and the intended outcomes.